"I was a little upset that (Brees) went to the NFL to get (suspended coach Sean) Payton and everybody back to watch him break a record," Bradshaw said in an interview with WFAN in New York. "I'm like, 'Are you kidding me?' I never would have gone and asked for them back ... I thought it was disrespectful to the San Diego Chargers. ... So break it, go ahead. Hell, you're throwing it 50 times a game ... I'm just against stuff like that. I just don't believe in doing stuff like that."

And that wasn't all the Pittsburgh Steelers icon and Fox analyst had to say.

"(The record) didn't blow me away," Bradshaw said. "I'm not much on that stuff ... I'm not into records, fellas. I'm just into winning football games. (The Saints) hadn't won a game ... I'm not into records, I'm into winning Super Bowls ... These things aren't important. We lose sight of why we play. We play to win and to win championships, not to break records."

Well, OK.

But is there really anything wrong with relishing your records and rings? (Though if you're Bradshaw, it may be better to focus on the titles - which largely came courtesy of the best defense in NFL history - given that Ben Roethlisberger is quickly snapping up his franchise passing records.)

But Brees too has won a championship for a franchise that was mostly devoid of playoff success prior to his arrival in 2006. He was also trying to be inclusive with his latest accomplishment, stating the 52-year-old record he broke belonged to more people than just Brees himself. And getting Payton in the zip code for the first time this season might have been a spark the floundering Saints needed.

At the end of the day, New Orleans rallied for its first win Sunday, at least temporarily getting off the mat. It was pretty clear after the game that Brees was more proud of the victory than the record.